Cover plate for electric hairclipping device



May 18, 1965 G. STARRE ETAL 3,183,590

COVER PLATE FOR ELECTRIC HAvIR-CLIPPING DEVICE Filed DBG. ll, 1963 IN VEN TOR.

AGENT United States Patent O 3,183,5% COVER PLATE FOR ELECTRIC HAIR- CLIPPING DEVICE Gerrit Starre and Willem Witziers, Drachten, Netherlands, assignors, to North American Philips Company,

Inc., New York, NX., a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 11, 1963, Ser. No. 329,848 Claims priority, application lggetherlands, Dec. 17, 1962, 2 Claims. (Cl. Sil-90) The present invention relates to an electric hair-clipping device having a blade assembly including a blade driven with an oscillatory motion substantially in a straight line, and more particularly to a separate cover plate for the blade assembly which has an outwardly curved upper surface.

A hair-clipping device is known for use in the more or less concave areas of the body, particularly in the arm pits. The shape `of the device is such as to enable the entire area to be satisfactorily clipped with the aid of the device without the risk of skin irritation owing to the fact that the device is required to be locally pressed aga-inst the skin with excessive pressure or that protruding edges give rise to smarting pain. The motor casing of such a hair-clipping device frequently is rod-shaped, the blade assembly being arranged at one end face under a cover plate.

In other known hair-clipping devices it is common to round oli the angles of the ixed blade. However, th-is does not provide suicient protection against skin irritation. Hence a special protective edge has been proposed, which may be adjustable, and is located opposite the teeth of the blade assembly, a gap being left between the protective edge and the teeth which clips the hairs. As a result, however, the head of the device becomes bulky and furthermore the operation of the device is cumbersome.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome these disadvantages and consequently to provide a satisfactory protection against painful effects with the aid of a new shape of the separate cover plate, which is in the form of a member of synthetic resin to be moulded in one piece, which is light Weight, inexpensive, and provides a small head for the hair-clipping device.

The invention is characterized in that the outer edge of the head compr-ises forwardly projecting portions of the cover plate, one on each side of the blade assembly, which show a curvature extending to points on either side of the rows of teeth, at which areas the sides of the cover plate terminate into two rounded points, between which the front edge of the cover plate, which is cut otf straight, stands back.

With respect to the shape of the upper end of the housing of the hair-clipping device this provides the desired freedom enabling it to be readily manufactured with the least possible expenditure of material while permitting the blades and the driving gear to be satisfactorily accommodated. The cover plate provides such a shape of the component parts which come into contact with the skin, that a light pressure is sutlicient when using the shaver and any likelihood of irritation is avoided.

The determination of the shape of the circumference of the head may advantageously be taken over from the end edge of the housing of the hair-clipping device opposite the blade assembly, which for similar reasons has a substantially circular or elliptical boundary, and continued by the cover plate in a favorable embodiment, which is characterized in that the upper surface of the cover plate is substantially in the form of an ellipse of which a segment is cut off along a chord at right angles to the major axis.

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In order that the invention may readily be carried into effect, an embodiment thereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a part sectional View, part elevation of a hair-clipping device provided with a cover plate in accordance with the invention and to be attached to a motor housing (not shown);

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation of the cover plate; and

FIGURE 4 is a rear view of this plate.

Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2 a hair-clipping device 1 is shown which is adapted to be attached as a separate unit to a motor housing or a handle provided with a dr-iving shaft. Its lower end has a circular cross-section so that it lits on a cylindrical motor housing or handle. When it is so fitted, a coupling is established between a driving shaft projecting from the motor housing or handle and a driving spindle 2 which is provided in the hairclipping device and the longitudinal axis of which is referred to by the reference numeral 3. Because such a coupling is well known, it is not described more fully herein. A pin 4 is eccentrically secured to the end of the 4spindle 2 and drives a toothed hair-clipping blade 5 in an oscillatory manner in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the blade. The fixed blade 6 is provided with a row of teeth 7 (FIGURE 2) which for the sake of simplicity are shown as square teeth. The upper part of the hair-clipping device 1 is cut away into the portion 22 so that the cutting teeth of the blade assembly just protrude sufficiently. At the opposite side the hair-clipping device protrudes outwardly at 8, and the plan View (FIGURE 2) shows that the boundary edge at this side is substantially in the form of an arc of a circle. A projecting portion 9 of a cover plate 10, which may be made of synthetic resin, is iiush with the arcuate edge. The projection portion 9 is used for detachably securing the cover plate 10 with the aid of a screw 23. The iigures -show that due to the shape of the cover plate the end face 11 of the hair-clipping device is curved outwardly in known manner so as to enable it to be applied to the skin, in a contour-fitting manner, for example, in an arm pit, when the hair-clipping device is held in a position substantially at right angles to the skin.

The figures further show that the outer edges 12 and 13 of the hair-clipping device on either side of the blade assembly 5, 6 are constituted by portions of the cover plate 10 which project beyond the upper surface of the housing 1. These portions have a curvature which is a continuation of the curvature of the edge 8 of the end face opposite the blade assembly 5, 6. The said curved lateral edges 12 and 13 of the cover plate 10 terminate laterally of the rows of teeth in two rounded points 14a `and 15a at the ends of forwardly projecting portions 14 and 15 respectively. The front edge 16 of the cover plate is cut od along a straight line and is set back relatively to the points or projecting portions 14 and 15 so as to lie immediately behind the teeth of the blade assembly. Thus, the cover plate constitutes an end face, a pian view of which is substantially in the form of an ellipse at one end of which a segment is cut 0E along a chord 16 at right angles to the major axis.

In this manner a shape is obtained which together with a reciprocating blade, which is generally used to advantage in hair-clipping devices, provides a protection against irritation of the skin which is equal to that achieved by the use of a circular shaving head having a rotating circle of teeth. In addition, the advantage of the usual hair-clipping device using a reciprocating blade motion is retained, the hairs have ready access to the hair-clipping device and even long hairs being satisfactorily clipped.

snaai-ao The lower surface 17 of the cover plate liti may be a plane surface and there is no objection to the lateral edges 12 and 13 being secured thereto at right angles, however, as FIGURE 4 shows, these' edges merge by curves 18 and 19 into the curved end face 11.

FIGURES 1 and 3 show that the lower side of the cover plate forms a cavity (cf. the brokeny line 2t) of FIGURE 3) which is bounded so that the-blades 5 and 6 are suitably enclosed. The blade 5 is pressed resiliently to the fixed blade 6, however, the springs providing the pressure are not shown, not only `for the sake of simplicity but also because these springs may be incorporated in` known manner.

It Iis an important feature of the invention, however, that the boundaryZ of the said cavity extends substantially in a straight line to the cutting teeth so as to form a tapering edge 21which engages the upper surface of the fixed blade 6, while only the rounded points 14 and 15 project beyond the blade assembly. This tapering edge 21 permits satisfactory contact of the blades and the skin without the use of great pressure and without causing irritation to the skin.

While we have shovm and described the preferred made without departing from the underlying idea or u principle of the invention within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

l. A cover plate for an electricV hair-clipping device to be used'with `an oscillating-type lblade assembly and having an outwardly curved upper surface and a linear front edge, opposite edges of said cover plate on either side of said blade assembly having forwardly projecting port-ions, each of the latter having an Aouter edge curvature continuing laterally of said blade assembly and terminating in lrounded points, and said linear front edge of said cover plate being located transversely of the plane of said forwardly projecting portions and between but Set back from said roundedpoints.

2. A cover plate for an electric hair-clipping device to be used with an oscillating type blade assembly provided with a linear front edge and having an outwardly curved upper surface in the form of an ellipse and provided with a segment at one end thereof cut off along a chord extending substantially at right angles to the major axis of said ellipse, opposite edges of said cover plate on either side of said blade Vassembly having forwardly projecting portions, each of the latter having an outer edge curvature continuing laterally of the blade assembly and terminating in rounded points, and said linear front edgey ofv said cover plate being located between but set back from said rounded points. Y

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS A WTLLIAM FELDMAN, PrmaryrExaminer. 

1. A COVER PLATE FOR AN ELECTRIC HAIR-CLIPPING DEVICE TO BE USED WITH AN OSCILLATING-TYPE BLADE ASSEMBLY AND HAVING AN OUTWARDLY CURVED UPPER SURFACE AND A LINEAR FRONT EDGE, OPPOSITE EDGES OF SAID COVER PLATE ON EITHER SIDE OF SAID BLADE ASSEMBLY HAVING FORWARDLY PROJECTING PORTIONS, EACH OF THE LATTER HAVING AN OUTER EDGE CURVATURE CONTINUING LATERALLY OF SAID BLADE ASSEMBLY AND TERMINATING IN ROUNDED POINTS, AND SAID LINEAR FRONT EDGE OF SAID COVER PLATE BEING LOCATED TRANSVERSELY OF THE PLANE OF SAID FORWARDLY PROJECTING PORTIONS AND BETWEEN BUT SET BACK FROM SAID ROUNDED POINTS. 